Erin BarrettESL Teacher

Mike McKayEducation Technology Researcher

Erin Barretterin.c.barrett@gmail.comPuyallup, WABHS Human ServicesTrinity Certification TESOL5 Years teaching English in Budapest, HungarySecond Generation Educational Technologist

Mike McKaymike@worldnetjapan.comMukogawa Women’s UniversityKobe, JapanBS in eBusinessM. Ed. in TechnologyLiving in Japan since 2000 15 years web development experience10 Years English teaching experience in Japan

Virtual worlds are changing the way we learn languages. Instead of studying a language, we can live in it. By guiding our students through realistic world simulations we can teach them invaluable lessons in language acquisition and cultural acclimation.

Companies interested in their future employee's ability to speak English can be assured knowing that the university is providing them with current relative content and global exposure that is immediately applicable to their real life.

• Defining Simulation Language Learning• Student, Teacher, Business Needs• Content Creation• Traditional, Blended, and Virtual Delivery• Virtual Life Community

Creating and delivering relevant and realistic simulated language learning environments

• is an interactive learning event with a realistic setting and the necessary background information

• offers the opportunity of learning by doing; presents a task to perform or a problem to solve together

• allows the learners to make choices, shows the consequences of those choices and builds confidence in the learners when the problem is mastered

• is more than a role-play because the learners act as themselves and use their own judgments and linguistic resources

• reduces anxiety about linguistic performance because learners are not judged, corrected or evaluated immediately

• is highly motivating because language is learned creatively and communicatively

• can help develop cognitive abilities such as analyzing, evaluating and synthesizing information

• provides the opportunity to acquire intercultural and interpersonal competence such as being a team-player and cooperation

• Studento Make it interestingo Make it relevanto Make it easy

• Teachero Make it easily presentableo Make it accessibleo Make it relevant

• Businesso Make it relevanto Make it assessableo Make it cost efficient

What do businesses need?

Ask them

Contact affiliated companies Surveys, Interviews, Job Shadowing

Traditional Content Textbooks, workbooks, DVDs,

CDs, website

Hypermedia DVD Textbooks plus home/school software

Web 2.0 e-Learning Blended - Moodle 100% online – Mass content

Virtual Learning Environment Blended – Moodle + Second Life Globally Collaborative

HOW?

Cypris Village is home to the Cypris Chat group; an international non-profit community for English language learning. The purpose of our group is to provide a virtual social networking and meeting place for people looking to SPEAK English rather than study it. We hope this community will foster friendships far and wide while at the same time providing a fun and safe environment for language learning.

We strive to provide an educational yet fun and interesting environment for English learning and teaching.

Our members have the chance to be part of a living community surrounded by others who are learning, teaching or simply interested in speaking English with people from around the world.

We believe learning should be a way of life instead of a struggle to achieve.

•Our group is made up of people from all over the world but the bulk of our members come from Asia. •The age range of our members seems to be between 30 and 50.•Level of English competence ranges from beginner to almost fluent.

oShare – safe toys, clothes, avatars, gadgets. Sharing promotes communication.oRespect – different cultures, backgrounds, and reasons for being in SL.oRespond – Let us know what you think.oBe Active – Speak. Ask questions. Participate. Less text chat. More voice!

Native Speaker with some experience teaching in RL.

Notecards

Slideviewers

VOICE!

Made available to learners in a box they can click and collect.

•Uploaded as .jpeg or .png•Shown in a media or slide viewer

Courses are offered to members of the Cypris Chat group as a place to study outside of Second Life. Here, tutors and learners can connect in private classes. Tutors can offer various classes such as pronunciation, writing, listening, reading, presentations and test taking for TOEIC and TOEFL.

15 minutes

Welcome and warm-up

45 minutes

Present and practice

30 minutes

Performance Activity

30 minutes

Travel Time or Island Activity

Native or fluent non-native speakers with some experience either moderating or tutoring groups.

Non-native or native speakers. No teaching experience required.

I had many chance to learn English more when I was student…but was not so interested in it… and since I came in SL…I found its fun to communicate with people in English..

I come here 18 day, I think my English is better than my 10 years “student”.

ESP classrooms benefit most from the use of simulated learning environments. The web and virtual worlds can provide a flexible means of delivering relevant, engaging, motivating lessons that are easily accessible, assessable and cost efficient.

Thank youErin Barrett

erin.c.barrett@gmail.comMike McKay

mike@worldnetjapan.com